1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for protecting health of a user during operating a display device, and more specially for avoiding eye and bodily injury from using a display device.
2. Prior Art
In the new era of digital data and Internet, computer plays more and more important role in our life, work and entertainment, it becomes one of the hi-tech products on which we depend greatly in our daily life.
However, according to recent medical research, people suffer discomforts from long-term computer usage. Among all computer repetitive stress injuries (CRSI), injuries the most been often complained of are Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) caused by long-term concentrating on screen of a display device, repeated keystrokes and long periods of clutching and dragging with mouse. Generally speaking, computer users who use computer continuously over two hours per day are prone to comprising CVS. Reduced blinking frequency caused by long-term concentrating on the screen will make the moisture of the eyes vaporize rapidly and let people feel dryness on eyes, and further induce chronic conjunctivitis and xerophthalmia. The flickering screen and reflex also aggravate eyestrain even further, so poor eyesight gets worse. The users often claim eyestrain, headache and tiredness. The CTS occurs from repeated physical movements doing damage to tendon, nerves, muscles and other soft body tissues of hands. The thousands of repeated keystrokes and long periods of clutching and dragging with mouse slowly accumulate damage to the wrists and cause numbness and pain.
Those who suffer from the CVS and the CTS should run for proper medical therapy immediately, otherwise, they would suffer permanent injury or painful sequel. However, compared with all the time and money it might involve during the therapy, the CVS and the CTS are far easier to prevent than to cure once contracted. Usually doctors suggest computer users to shorten the time to use computer and take regular break and hereby prevent the CVS and the CTS.
There are lots of systems and methods for preventing computer repetitive stress injuries. For instance, an U.S. Pat. No. 6,075,525 issued on Jun. 13, 2000 and entitled “Method for Preventing the Injury of Eyesight during Operating a Device with a Display” discloses a method for preventing the injury of eyesight during operating a device with a display. The method comprises steps of: (A) presetting a value of a second interval (T2); (B) accumulating the operating time of said device; (C) if the accumulating time reached the value of the second interval (T2), a menu showing on said display to remind user to relax eyes, if the user chooses to relax eyes from the second pattern, executing step (D), otherwise executing step (E); (D) displaying a moving pattern(s) which can relax user's eyes, after said moving pattern being terminated, the process returns to said step (A); and (E) decreasing the value of the second interval (T2) and returning to said step (A). However, the invention is built upon the operating system which is a platform the invention runs on. Therefore, when the operating system encounters malfunction and not work normally, the invention also does not work. In addition, the invention does not mention to remind user to take exercises for relaxing body.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method which can prevent a user from eye and bodily injury caused by long-term concentrating on screen of the display device and is independent of the operating system.